Three children have contracted measles in the city of Offenbach. The city health department has identified the cases and their contact persons and initiated countermeasures together with the doctors treating them.
Measles is still one of the most contagious viral infections, which can also have long-term effects. Measles viruses are only transmitted from person to person. Almost any contact between an unprotected person and a sick person leads to infection, even from a few meters away. When coughing, sneezing or speaking, the pathogens can spread through the air in small droplets of saliva and be inhaled. For this reason, vaccinations have been successfully administered for years. The Infection Protection Act stipulates that schools, nurseries and medical facilities must be fully protected against measles. Not everyone can be vaccinated - for example, newborns and children up to 9 months of age. Vaccinated people protect others from infection.
The sick children in Offenbach had contact with several people before the disease was recognized. These included unvaccinated people who were offered vaccination as protection. Some contact persons were referred to the health authorities in their place of residence for further care. The city health department has banned unvaccinated people from entering communal facilities.
In Offenbach, all doctors and the surrounding health authorities have been informed and sensitized. Despite these measures, further cases may occur in Offenbach and the surrounding area. Measles viruses remain in the air for several hours if a sick person has been in the room.
Signs of measles include fever, conjunctivitis, runny nose, cough and headache. The fever usually continues to rise and from the 2nd to 4th day of illness a skin rash with brownish-pink spots appears, which initially starts on the face, behind the ears and can later spread to the whole body.
Sick people and parents whose children show these signs of illness should inform a doctor's surgery or hospital before entering in order to prevent further spread.
"To protect against the measles virus, the well-tolerated measles vaccination is offered from the age of 11 months. Very young children in particular are at risk of suffering serious complications from a measles infection. These include inflammation of the brain and brain degeneration (SSPE), which occurs in the years following a measles infection and is fatal. People around infants should all be vaccinated to protect their children," explains Dr. Bernhard Bornhofen, Head of the City Health Department.
Children under the age of five and unvaccinated adults over the age of 20 as well as pregnant women are particularly at risk. Lifelong immunity is conferred by two vaccinations or by having contracted the disease. Measles cannot be treated with medication. Only the symptoms and secondary bacterial infections can be alleviated. In Germany, up to seven people die from measles every year.
Due to the long incubation period of 14 days, it is not yet possible to estimate how many people have been infected in the cases known to date. The City Health Department recommends that contact persons get vaccinated even if their vaccination status is not known. In rooms with high fluctuation and possibly many viruses in the air, masks and air filters protect against infection.
Please take this opportunity to check your measles vaccination status and, if necessary, seek advice from your doctor or get vaccinated.